Waler bracket for a concrete wall form

ABSTRACT

A self-contained waler bracket for attachment either directly to a waler or to a waler-reinforcing stud and including a helical split wedge which engages an inwardly facing shoulder afforded by an enlarged head on a tie rod for placing the tie rod under tension, and further including a wedge-spanning hoodlike strap which engages an outwardly facing reaction shoulder on the head to prevent inward movement of the bracket and consequently of the waler and the side of the concrete wall form that is served thereby.

llnited States Patent [72] Inventor George J. Eriksson Morton Grove,Ill.

21 Appl. No. 823,308

[22] Filed May 9, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 7, 1971 [73] Assignee SuperiorConcrete Accessories, Inc.

Franklin Park, Ill.

[54] WALER BRACKET FOR A CONCRETE WALL FORM 3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 249/219, 25/13] CF, 85/37 [51] Int. Cl E043 19/04 [50]Field of Search 249/190,

189,213, 219, 219 w,40, 44. 217,33, 46; 25/131 CP, 131 CM, 131 P, 131T;85/37 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,449,864 9/1948Symons 249/40 X 3,216,690 11/1965 .lahn 249/219 X 3,363,877 1/1968 Gates249/213 X 3,482,813 12/1969 Wells et a1. 249/217 X 2,322,163 6/1943Schmidt 85/37 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser AssistantExaminerDe Walden W. Jones Attorney-Norman H. Gerlach ABSTRACT: Aself-contained waler bracket for attachment either directly to a waleror to a waler-reinforcing stud and including a helical split wedge whichengages an inwardly facing shoulder afforded by an enlarged head on atie rod for placing the tie rod under tension, and further including awedgespanning hoodlike strap which engages an outwardly facing reactionshoulder on the head to prevent inward movement of the bracket andconsequently of the waler and the side of the concrete wall form that isserved thereby.

PATENTEDDEC H97! sum 1 UF 2 INVENTOR GEORGE J. R/KSSO/V A rrorney WALERBRACKET FOR A CONCRETE WALL FORM The present invention relates generallyto a concrete wall form and has particular reference to a novel,self-contained, two-piece waler bracket which consists essentially of abaseplate and a pivoted and generally helical wedge latch, the baseplatebeing adapted to be secured to a wooden, panelreinforcing waler or to awooden, waler-reinforcing stud and the wedge latch being movable from aretracted position to an advanced or operative position wherein itunderlies an enlarged head on the adjacent end of a horizontal tie rodwhich passes through aligned holes in the baseplate and the timber(waler or stud) to which the baseplate is secured, thus applying tensionto the tie rod and forcing the timber inwardly and hard against thepanels of the adjacent side of the concrete wall form.

Waler brackets of the helical pivoted wedge latch type are currently ingeneral use, and when such brackets are operatively installed in aconcrete wall form, the inward reaction thrust which is applied to theassociated timbers is assimilated by the usual spreader cones whichsurround the associated tie rods and bear at their inner ends againstbreakback defon'nations in the tie rods and at their outer ends againstthe inner faces of the associated panels of the form. In the absence ofsuch spreader cones, form braces are usually employed in order toprevent inward collapse of the two opposed, spaced apart sides of theconcrete wall form.

According to the present invention, the novel waler bracket is providedwith a hoodlike reaction strap which overlies the enlarged head on theadjacent end of the associated tie rod. Since the pivoted edge latch ofthe bracket underlies this head while the strap overlies the head, andsince the wedge latch and strap are, in effect, integral, when the wedgelatch is driven to its home or fully operative position, the head issecurely clamped between the body of the wedge latch and the hooklikestrap so that relative shifting between the bracket and tie rod in anaxial direction is prevented. Since the bracket is fixedly secured tothe associated timber, and since the timber is secured to the associatedpanel, such clamping of the tie rod head by the bracket will afford thenecessary spreading action for the fonn sides regardless of whether ornot a spreader cone is employed on the tie rod.

The provision of a waler bracket of the character briefly outlined aboveand possessing the stated advantages constitutes the principal object ofthe present invention. A further object of the invention is to provide awaler bracket wherein the hoodlike reaction strap, as well as the wedgelatch, exerts a camming action on the enlarged tie rod head duringmovement of the wedge latch toward its home position so that there willbe no lost motion between the bracket as a whole and the tie rod afterthe former has been tightened on the latter.

It is desirable that in a waler bracket of the type under consideration,the pivoted wedge latch shall not be too freely rotatable about itspivotal point or axis. Otherwise, the wedge latch is difficult tomanipulate during connection to the enlarged head on the adjacent end ofthe associated tie rod. In many concrete wall forms, the waler bracketsare successively aligned with their respective tie rods and the timbersput in place before individual wedge latch tightening operations areperformed. After a given number of tie rods have been put in positionwith respect to the associated timbers and waler brackets, the finaloperation consists in successively driving the various wedge latches totheir home positions to lock the tie rods, so to speak, to the brackets.Before the wedge latch driving operation is resorted to, the wedgelatches must be swung to a raised position where the helical slots ofthe wedge latches are in immediate register with the enlarged heads onthe ends of the tie rods but are not in actual contact therewith. Inprior waler brackets designed for the same purpose, friction in thepivot parts of the wedge latch and baseplate has been relieved upon sothat the wedge latch will remain in whatever position it is initiallyplaced. To attain the necessary degree of friction, where the pivotalconnection consists of a threaded bolt, a careful threaded adjustment ofthe parts must be made so that the wedge latch will not be so loose thatit will fall by gravity toward its latching position, or so tight as tomake it difficult to manipulate by hand pressure to attain a properinitial setting. Where a riveted connection is made, a proper adjustmentfor friction is even more difiicult to attain. In either event,subsequent repeated use will loosen the frictional adjustment in time,while the presence of foreign matter such as particles of concrete whichfind their way into the pivotal connection may cause the wedge latch tobind. According to the present invention, novel means are providedwhereby uniform frictional resistance to swinging of the pivoted wedgelatch is provided, such means being less subject to binding than hasheretofore been possible, and such means also maintaining the desiredcoefficient of friction indefinitely.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this timeenumerated, will readily suggest themselves as the following descriptionensues.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter described and are more particularly defined by the claims atthe conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming a part of thisspecification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an external area of aconcrete wall form showing a waler bracket embodying the inventionoperatively installed thereon and illustrating the wedge latch in itsretracted position preparatory to being driven to its home or operativeposition of tie rod engagement;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the structure of FIG. I butshowing the wedge latch in the position which it assumes at the momentwhen the adjacent, head-equipped end of the associated tie rod entersthe wedge slot in the wedge latch;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view similar to FIG. 2 but showing thewedge latch driven to its home position;

FIG. 4 is a bottom edge view of the applied waler bracket looking in thedirection of the arrows 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side edge view of the waler bracket looking in the directionof the arrows 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a top edge view of the bracket looking in the direction of thearrows 7-7 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the detachedwedge latch in its free state and illustrating schematically the mannerin which it is applied to the baseplate in order to attain frictionalretardation against undesired wedge latch movement.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIG. 1, asexemplified in this view, it is common and widespread practice in theindustry to fabricate a concrete wall fonn from opposed, upright,plywood panels 10 which are traversed and held in a desired spaced-apartrelationship by horizontal, transversely extending tie rods 12 whichproject through holes 14 (see FIG. 4) in the panels 10, and extendexteriorly of the form in supporting engagement with Walterclampingbrackets which are similar in many respects to the waler bracket 16 ofthe present invention and coact with horizontal walers 18 in anarrangement (not shown) involving pivoted wedge latches and which aresimilar to the present wedge latch 20 and function against enlargedbuttons or heads 22 on the projecting end portions of the tie rod 12 inorder to apply the influence of the latter, in reaction, against thewalers, thereby establishing the desired spacing of the sides of theconcrete wall form according to the predetermined dictates of the tierods. Such known waler-clamping brackets are further characterized bywedge latches which present generally helical slots similar to theillustrated slot 24 and also present relatively steep ram portions 26(see FIG. 3) that terminate in generally flat shelf or land portions 28,the tie rod heads 22 being adapted to ride outwardly on the ram portions26 and then move laterally onto the shelf portions 28 so that the wedgelatches afi'ord a detent action which is intended to prevent the latchesfrom returning to their retracted position of tie rod release undersevere vibrational forces.

The waler-clamping bracket 16 of the present invention embodies theknown features briefly outlined above and, addi tionally, it makesprovision whereby, after a predetermined degree of wedging action hastaken place tending to force the associated waler l8 inwardly of theconcrete wall form, a secondary reaction member presents itself to theadjacent outer end of the tie rod, i.e., the adjacent enlarged head 22on the associated tie rod 12, and prevents further inward movement ofthe associated waler 18 and panel 10 without destroying the function ofthe first reaction force which becomes effective during tightening ofthe wedge latch 20.

Accordingly, and considering the novel waler-clamping bracket 10 ingreater detail, this bracket is comprised of two principal parts,namely, a flat rectangular baseplate 30 which, in the illustratedconcrete wall form, is permanently secured to the waler 18 by nails 32or other suitable fastening devices, and the previously mentioned wedgelatch 20 which is pivoted to the baseplate by a shouldered rivet 34, theswinging movement of the wedge latch being frictionally retarded in amanner that will be described presently. The wedge latch 20 is in theform of a rigid heavy gauge sheet metal stamping having a raised hollowcuneate boss 36 in which the helical slot 24, the ramp portion 26 andthe shelf or land portion 28 are formed. Due to the raised nature of theboss 36, the arcuate slot 24 therein is roughly of helicalconfiguration. The baseplate 30 is provided with a circular hole 38which registers with a tie rod opening 39 in the waler 18. The curvatureof the slot 24, insofar as its arcuateness is concerned, is such thatall portions of the slot may progressively be brought into register withthe hole 38 during movement of the wedge latch from the retractedposition in which it is shown in FIG. 1, to the fully advanced or homeposition in which it is shown in FIG. 3. Except for the cuneate boss 36,the wedge latch 20 is generally flat and a relatively large surface areathereof is adapted to slide on the opposed surface of the baseplate 30in face-to-face relationship. A limited peripheral portion 40 of thewedge latch is turned at an angle of approximately out of the generalplane of the wedge latch and the leading edge of the slot 24 is widenedso as to provide a throat 42 which extends into this out-tumedperipheral portion 30 to allow the enlarged head 22 of the adjacentprojecting end portion of the tie rod 12 to enter the slot 24 duringmovement of the wedge latch 20 toward its advanced position as clearlyshown in FIG. 2. By such an arrangement, an apertured bridge portion oryoke 44 is established and connects the leading side edges of the slot28 together in reinforcing relationship. The raised outtumed portion 40also serves as a manipulating handle by means of which the wedge plate20 as a whole may be shifted bodily between its two extreme positions aswell as into intermediate positions.

A second limited peripheral portion of the wedge latch 20 is similarlyturned at an angle of approximately 45 out of the general plane of thewedge latch and constitutes an out-tumed extension or striker 46 whichmay also be used as a manipulating handle or as an impact lug or strikerwhen the wedge is being driven t its home position.

From the above description, it will be apparent that with the adjacentend portion of the tie rod 12 projecting through the registering holes14, 39 and 38 in the panel 10, the waler l8 and the baseplate 30,respectively, as shown in FIG. 1, downward swinging movement of thewedge latch 20 in a counterclockwise direction will bring the throat 42into register with these three holes 14, 39 and 38 as shown in FIG. 2,and continued swinging movement of the wedge latch will cause theextreme end region of the tie rod to enter the slot 28 while theenlarged head 22 on the tie rod is bypassed by the yoke 44 and overliesthe side edges of the slot so that it will ride outwardly on the steepramp portion 26, thus applying tension to the tie rod 12 and causing thewaler bracket 16 as a whole, together with the waler 18 to which it isaffixed, to be crowded inwardly of the form and against the panel 10.From the ramp portion 26, the enlarged tie rod head 22 moves onto theshelf or land portion 28 where further swinging movement of the wedgelatch 20 is terminated by engagement of the tie rod portion immediatelyinwards of the head 22 with functioning in the manner of a detent inorder frictionally to hold the wedge latch in its home position as shownin FIG. 3.

The general arrangement of parts thus far described is conventional andaccording to the present invention, certain improvements thereover havebeen effected. Principal among these improvements is the provision of asubstantially rigid hoodlike strap 50in the form of a short length ofheavy gauge sheet metal stock, one end of which is turned laterallyinwards to provide a right-angle flange 52, the distal edge of which iswelded as at 54 to a peripheral region of the wedge latch 20 in thevicinity of the striker 46. The strap 50 extends laterally over the slot24 in the rear region of the latter as best seen in FIG. 2 andsubstantially conceals the adjacent end 48 of the slot and consequentlythe tie rod head 22 when the wedge latch is in its home position asshown in FIG. 3. The distal end region of the strap 50 is secured inposition on an underlying portion 56 of the wedge latch 20 by the samerivet 34 which maintains the wedge latch 20 against the baseplate 30 inswinging relationship with respect thereto.

Whereas, with conventional wedge latches similar to the present wedgelatch 20, the pivotal connection between the latch and the baseplate isa loose one so that the latch is capable of falling under the influenceof gravity toward its home position, the latch of the present inventionis frictionally retarded against such gravitational movement by reasonof the assembly process which is resorted to in constructing the wedgelatch 20 and its associated strap 50, as well as in assembling theunitary latch and strap upon the baseplate 30. This assembly process isschematically shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. After the wedge latch has beenstamped from heavy gauge sheet metal, the laterally turned flange 52 iswelded in position on the wedge latch 20 as previously described and onan angular bias so that the crown portion of the strap is disposedgenerally at a slight angle to the general plane of the latch as shownin FIG. 8. Thereafter, when the latch and the baseplate are brought intoposition for registry of the two rivet holes 58 and 60 (see FIG. 8) inthese members, the distal end region of the strap 50 is forceddownwardly as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8 so that the rivet hole 62in the strap also moves into register with the holes 58 and 60. Therivet 34 is then applied as shown in FIG. 5. In order that the swagedend of the rivet 34 shall not interfere with proper seating of the wedgelatch 20 upon the baseplate 30, the latter is formed with a raised boss64 which affords a clearance for such swaged end of the rivet. Theportion of the wedge latch 20 which directly opposes or overlies theboss is formed with a corresponding or complemental boss which receivesor accommodates the boss 64, and thus, permits the flat portions of thewedge latch to fit flatly against the baseplate 30. After the rivetingoperation has been completed and the clamping pressure on the strap 50relieved, the annular rivet head shoulder 66 and the annular shoulderthat is formed by the swaged portion of the rivet establish frictionsurfaces which, respectively, bear against the upper face of the strap50 and the underneath surface of the boss 64 respectively and thusinhibit free rotational movement of the wedge latch with respect to thebaseplate 30, it being understood, of course, that the release ofclamping pressure on the strap 50 places the latter under yieldingflexion and attains the desired frictional effect.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, 7 and 8, the leading edge region ofthe strap 50 is formed with an arched generally frustoconical portion 70which tapers to nothingness in the trailing direction of the strap, thusgiving the strap as a whole, when considered in connection with theunderlying wedge latch 20, the appearance of a hood. During the terminalmovement of the wedge latch 20 and as it swings over the enlarged head22 on the adjacent end portion of the tie rod 12, the shallow part ofthe arched portion 70 engages the extreme outer end of the head 22 and,by a camming action, forces the head hard against the shelf or landportion 28 of the cuneate boss 36, thus, in effect, locking the walerbracket 16 as a whole securely to the tie rod 12 with the two form sidesassuming their vertical positions with the predetermined spacing whichis dictated by the linear extent of the tie rod. Outward spreadingmovement of the form sides is prevented by the intershoulder engagementbetween the captured tie rod head 22 and the strap 50, while inwardcollapse of the adjacent form side is prevented by the intershoulderengagement between the head 22 and the wedge latch 20.

In order to prevent overswinging of the wedge latch when the bracket 16is in its free state, as well as to protect the end 48 of the slot frombecoming damaged by repeated contact with succeeding tie rods with whichthe bracket may be associated, a limit stop 72 (see F I68. 1, 2 and 3)is formed on the baseplate and is designed for engagement with arecessed edge area 74 on the periphery of the wedge latch 20 at or nearthe time when the end 48 of the slot engages that portion of the tie rod12 that is immediately inwards of the adjacent enlarged head 22.

From the above description, it is believed that the mode of operation ofthe present waler-clamping bracket 16 will be fully understood, as wellas many of the advantages thereof over conventional and similar walerbrackets designed for the same purpose. Among the advantages not yet setforth is the fact that the hood which is afforded by the strap 50, beingopen at both ends, affords adequate open space for the escape ofloosened and hardened bits of concrete which may collect in the vicinityof the slot 24, as well as affording access to the tie rod head 22 atall times for inspection purposes.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification asvarious changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Neither isthe waler bracket of the invention to be limited to the specificenvironment which, for exemplary purposes, has been selected. Forexample, while the bracket 16 is shown as being operatively installed ina concrete wall form installation by application directly to a walersuch as the waler 18, where a gang form installation is made, thebracket 16 may be secured to a vertical stud which bridges a number ofthe walers, the hole 38 in the baseplate 30 of the bracket lying inregister with aligned tie rod holes in both the associated stud andwaler, as well as in the panel. Therefore, only insofar as the inventionis particularly pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to belimited.

lclaim:

ll. In a concrete wall form, the combination with a wall form panel, atimber disposed in backing relationship with respect to the panel, therebeing aligned openings in said timber and panel, and a headed tie rodportion projecting through said openings and having its head disposed aslight distance outwardly of the timber, of a clamping bracket designedfor coaction with said head and timber, of a clamping bracket designedfor coaction with said head and timber and comprising a baseplatefixedly secured to the timber and having a hole therein in register withsaid aligned openings and through which the tie rod portion projects, awedge latch disposed adjacent to the outer side of the baseplate andarranged in pivoted relation with respect to said baseplate for swingingmovement in sliding relation with respect to the baseplate from aretracted position remote from the baseplate hole to an advancedposition overlying said hole, said wedge latch being formed with araised hollow cuneate boss having a helical slot therein which, in alloverlying positions of the wedge latch, registers with said baseplatehole and through which the tie rod portion projects during traverse ofthe baseplate hole by the wedge latch, the side edges of said slotengaging said head during such traverse and by a camming action urgingthe baseplate inwardly against the timber, and an elongated sheet metalhoodlike strap on the outer side of said wedge latch having one endwelded to said wedge latch on one side of the helica l slot and archinoutwardl and transversel over the termlnal end region 0 the slot, t eunderneath 81 e of the crown portion of said arched hoodlike strap beingengageable with the had when the wedge latch is in its fully advancedposition, and a fastening stud projecting outwardly from the baseplateon the other side of the helical slot, the other end of the strap beingformed with a circular hole therethrough, the wedge latch also beingformed with a similar circular hole therethrough in register with thecircular hole in said other end of the strap, said fastening studprojecting loosely through said registering holes in the strap and wedgelatch, forming the pivotal connection between the baseplate and thewedge latch, and having an enlarged head overlying the rim of thecircular hole in the strap, said strap being so welded to the wedgelatch that it exists under outward flexion to the end that the enlargedhead of the fastening stud and said rim region of the circular hole inthe strap are yieldingly urged into frictional contact with each otherwith the result that the swinging movement of the wedge latch about theaxis of the fastening stud is frictionally restrained.

2. In a concrete wall form the combination set forth in claim 1 andwherein said baseplate is provided with an opening therethrough inregister with the circular holes in the wedge latch and strap and saidfastening stud is in the form of a shouldered rivet having a reducedinner end projecting through the opening in the baseplate and riveted inthe latter.

3. In a concrete wall form, the combination set forth in claim 2 andwherein said baseplate is formed with a raised circular boss whichestablishes a recess in which the riveted end of the rivet is nested.

1. In a concrete wall form, the combination with a wall form panel, atimber disposed in backing relationship with respect to the panel, therebeing aligned openings in said timber and panel, and a headed tie rodportion projecting through said openings and having its head disposed aslight distance outwardly of the timber, of a clamping bracket designedfor coaction with said head and timber, of a clamping bracket designedfor coaction with said head and timber and comprising a baseplatefixedly secured to the timber and having a hole therein in register withsaid aligned openings and through which the tie rod portion projects, awedge latch disposed adjacent to the outer side of the baseplate andarranged in pivoted relation with respect to said baseplate for swingingmovement in sliding relation with respect to the baseplate from aretracted position remote from the baseplate hole to an advancedposition overlying said hole, said wedge latch being formed with araised hollow cuneate boss having a helical slot therein which, in alloverlying positions of the wedge latch, registers with said baseplatehole and through which the tie rod portion projects during traverse ofthe baseplate hole by the wedge latch, the side edges of said slotengaging said head during such traverse and by a camming action urgingthe baseplate inwardly against the timber, and an elongated sheet metalhoodlike strap on the outer side of said wedge latch having one endwelded to said wedge latch on one side of the helical slot and archingoutwardly and transversely over the terminal end region of the slot, theunderneath side of the crown portion of said arched hoodlike strap beingengageable with the head when the wedge latch is in its fully advancedposition, and a fastening stud projecting outwardly from the baseplateon the other side of the helical slot, the other end of the strap beingformed with a circular hole therethrough, the wedge latch also beingformed with a similar circular hole therethrough in register with thecircular hole in said other end of the strap, said fastening studprojecting loosely through said registering holes in the strap and wedgelatch, forming the pivotal connection between the baseplate and thewedge latch, and having an enlarged head overlying the rim of thecircular hole in the strap, said strap being so welded to the wedgelatch that it exists under outward flexion to the end that the enlargedhead of the fastening stud and said rim region of the circular hole inthe strap are yieldingly urged into frictional contact with each otherwith the result that the swinging movement of the wedge latch about theaxis of the fastening stud is frictionally restrained.
 2. In a concretewall form the combinatioN set forth in claim 1 and wherein saidbaseplate is provided with an opening therethrough in register with thecircular holes in the wedge latch and strap and said fastening stud isin the form of a shouldered rivet having a reduced inner end projectingthrough the opening in the baseplate and riveted in the latter.
 3. In aconcrete wall form, the combination set forth in claim 2 and whereinsaid baseplate is formed with a raised circular boss which establishes arecess in which the riveted end of the rivet is nested.